Asian New Year is not celebrated only in China. It's a big event in Korea, Bhutan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, The Philippines, Thailand and Tibet. So, when I went to Japan last week, I thought I might be arriving in time for a festival. But though the streets were full of Valentine's cards, the only golden tigers were in shops that sold imported novelties. Eventually, by luck, I met one of the few Japanese astrologers who take an active interest in the Chinese tradition. His insights were fascinating. Tomorrow, I'll tell you what he told me.

Last week, in Japan, I met Kyoya Ueda, a gentle, kindly fellow who knows much about Western, Japanese and Chinese astrology. He gazed through his heavy spectacles and explained how the phrase that sums up the Asian New Year is made of two characters. The first means 'golden'... though the same word can also mean axe, knife or blade. The second means 'tiger' but can also mean tree or grass. So the Year of the Golden Tiger can also mean the time of the 'tree pruning' or the long grass being cut back so that new growth can come.

According to my Japanese friend, Kyoya Ueda, the year of the Golden Tiger is a time when old growth must be cut back so that new growth can come. This, you'll be happy to hear, need not imply more of the economic recession that so many parts of the world suffered recently. Probably, though, it speaks of the 'belt tightening' that governments may have to go through as they now pay the price for keeping their economies afloat through difficult times. It also suggests we'll see great benefit from any sacrifice that has been, or is about to be, made.

Kyoya Ueda was not the only astrologer I met on my recent trip to Japan. I also had fascinating discussions with Ryuji Kagami and Yuji Kitajima. These eminent, experienced practitioners don't just speak excellent English, they 'speak' western astrology with great fluency. We discussed, at length, the T-square that 'defines' 2010, involving Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter and Pluto. They pointed out that, in the West, this influence is already being reflected in the way people no longer trust bankers and politicians. Tomorrow, I'll tell you what I said to them about how it was playing out in the East.

With several of my Japanese colleagues, last week, we discussed the current astrological outlook and the way it is causing people see old, established institutions in a different light. To them, this was indicative of the 'fall from grace' experienced by bankers and politicians in the West. I countered with the suggestion that, in Japan, the same was happening to car manufacturers! In fairness, though, I should add that despite living and travelling in a city where every other car is a Toyota... I saw not a single brake failure, nor so much as one engine revving wildly away!

'Twinkle, twinkle, little star...' The melody was originally a French nursery rhyme about eating sweets. It was 'borrowed' by Mozart and later borrowed again by whoever wrote the English 'alphabet song'. About 200 years ago, sisters Jane and Anne Taylor wrote the words we all know now. No wonder they wondered what that 'star' was. Sometimes, Jupiter dominates the early evening sky - but more usually it's Venus. So far, this year, Jupiter has been more visible - but this week, Venus once more becomes the star of the sunset show. It will dominate our evenings for the next few months.

Ashley is a Sagittarian, born December 20, 1980. Cheryl is a Cancerian, born June 30, 1983. Sagittarians and Cancerians are strongly attracted but often, over time, they annoy each other. Sagittarians chase challenge. Cancerians crave comfort. Like the archer that symbolises their sign, Sagittarians like to fire off their arrows to see what targets they can hit. Cancerians meanwhile, prefer to retreat into their shells and see what tempts them out. Cheryl, to keep Ashley's interest, probably needed to play harder to get. She's going to be a lot harder to get now, that's for sure. Cancerians forgive, even when they probably shouldn't. But they never forget. And when they say 'enough is enough' they mean it. Ashley, if raises his game, may get given one last chance. But it really will be a last chance. Cheryl has her 'Saturn return' in 2011. It will be soon after that that she becomes a mum. Will Ashley be the dad? That's looking ever less likely.